New armband uses muscle power to control electronics remotely

The idea hit a few weeks before graduation in April 2012: University of Waterloo students Matthew Bailey and Stephen Lake were sitting at a bar talking about the new frontier of wearable computer controllers.

Lake mentioned work he'd done studying muscle activity in his biomechanics courses. Perhaps, the pair mused, the electronics could be shrunk to a wearable size.

Thus, Thalmic Labs was born.

"We prototyped the idea, proved that it was viable one week after graduation, and have been working on it ever since," Bailey says.

25,000 armbands sold

Thalmic Labs co-founders Stephen Lake, Matthew Bailey and Aaron Grant (l-r).

The concept won a $25,000 grant through the VeloCity Venture Fund, and was further developed at VeloCity Garage. The team also developed a solid business plan that earned it a $60,000 Scientists and Engineers in Business Fellowship which kick-started interest from other investors.

Just one year after developing their prototype, co-founders Bailey, Lake and Aaron Grant employ 15 people, have sold 25,000 MYO armbands with more orders rolling in. They are building on their promise to change the look and feel of technological interaction.

In a tough market populated with tech heavyweights, Thalmic Labs has been generating a near-constant stream of buzz and interest within the tech community and beyond.

"Thousands of people have emailed us with different ways in which they'll use MYO and how they think it will change their lives," Bailey says.

That excitement has not only spurred pre-sales - it has enabled the company to attract top-tier talent to their startup. Next up, the team wants to encourage developers and hackers to push the limits of what MYO can do.

Prestigious Y Combinator

It's been a hectic year for the founders, who spent three months as part of San Francisco's prestigious Y Combinator startup accelerator.

But it's not the sales or the interest that the co-founders consider their greatest success.  Rather, they speak highest about community response, and where that enthusiasm could lead.

"The greatest success and motivator for us is the large, passionate community that we've built around an idea that we had less than one year ago," Bailey says.

With developers and hackers integrating the device with their products and projects, we know that we'll make an even larger impact on how the world interacts with technology."